Travel seems to be one of the only things not being sacrificed in a cost-of-living crunch.

In fact, travellers are going the other way - devoting more of their money to seeing the world and experiencing the finer things in life, even for only a few days or weeks at a time.

Luxury hotels saw this coming years ago and have been jostling for the spotlight ever since, with a 'no holds barred' competitive approach and innovating to ensure each guest can tailor a stay exactly to their liking.

While this has led to some rather unconventional requests, hotels smile, nod and oblige, going well out of their way to appease this new breed of high-end holidaymaker. After all, a happy guest leaves a positive review.

In this episode of Talking Travel, we chat to two leading Melbourne luxury hoteliers to find out just how far the envelope has been pushed, and can be pushed, to ensure each guest leaves with a smile on their face.